Bean Box - Specialty Coffee Beans Delivered Right to Your Front Door

For all my coffee loving friends out there, this post is for you!

For the past few months I have seen Bean Box pop up in my FB ads. I don't normally pay much attention to those but a box of specialty coffee beans, roasted within 48 hours, from Seattle, delivered right to my front door? I was sold!

After checking out more of Bean Box's website I e-mailed them and requested a box to try out in exchange for sharing about their products with you on my blog. They were gracious enough to accept my offer so today I'm here to share with you about this awesome company and to review the coffees I tried.

For starters, Bean Box has their marketing in tip top shape. The box I received was packaged very nicely and even had some coffee bean tape on the outside. Each sample of coffee was clearly labeled, it had the roast date listed, the strength of the coffee, a description of the coffee as well as where it came from. There was an insert in the box on how to brew your coffee to give the maximum flavor. I thought that was pretty helpful.

Each sample made two pots of my 4 cup Chemex, which equals out to 8 pots of coffee. It was nice to have enough of each to try twice to get the full taste test.

I love the little beans on the right so you can tell if the beans are strong or a medium roast. Clever idea!

Here is a little recap of each coffee I tried.


Ethiopian Sidama Shiocho -  by True North

This coffee was my absolute favorite. When I brewed it I thought it looked like tea and was a bit skeptical that it wouldn't be strong enough. However, after one sip, it was some of the smoothest most balanced coffee I've ever had. I ordered two 12 oz. packages of these beans because they were just that good! I highly recommend it.

Siena Blend - by Fonte´ Coffee Roaster

This was one of the stronger blends and if you are looking for a bold coffee this is it. I had two of my friends over, both who are Moms, and they decided this was a good strong Mom coffee. I also think this would be a really good espresso blend.

 Colombia Selecto 3 - by Herkimer Coffee

As soon as I opened the package the beans just smelt amazing. I know all you coffee lovers know what I'm talking about. This coffee was rich and bold but also balanced.

 Caffe Del Sol - Caffe Vita Coffee Roasting Co.

This coffee was very balanced. It was not too weak and not too strong.

I really enjoyed trying this out and I'm pretty sure I'll be a frequent customer of Bean Box. There are several ways you can enjoy these coffees: 

- 1 Month Sample - This gives you a chance to try it out and see if it is something you would want to do on a monthly basis. 

- Monthly Subscription - You can sign up to get a monthly box. If you sign up for a year in advance you get a bigger discount and you get a discount for a six month subscription as well. The great thing about this is that you can change the preference of the coffee you want, you can skip months or cancel at any time. Lastly, if you sign up for a subscription your first box is only $9.99 when you use the code AUTUMN999

Coffee Gifts - Not a coffee drinker? That's okay because you can buy a gift for someone or even a gift certificate so they can enjoy their own Bean Box. 

-Discounts - You get a 10% credit from your total purchase from Bean Box. You can also earn a $5 credit by referring a friend and you get $1 credit per coffee you review. 

All in all I give Bean Box two thumbs up! I think it would be a great addition to your coffees and I also thin it would be a really good Christmas gift. 

You can check out Bean Box directly from their website and they on Facebook as well! 

Have you heard of Bean Box before? 

Do you sample coffees before you buy them?

Missionary Mondays on a Thankful Thursday

Hello Dear Family and Friends! I can hardly believe in 11 days Dave and I will be on a flight to Asia. It’s surreal.

There is no way possible that we would have made it to where we are if it weren’t for the love of Christ and the love that so many of you have poured out for us. From praying for us, to helping us move, for commenting on my blog letting me know you support us, for the cards, words of encouragement and much much more. There is no way we can count the abundance of blessings God has poured out on us but we are humbled and grateful.

Today I have two things for you! The first is a giveaway. I’ve teamed up with some really great women who have supported and encouraged me on my journey. We are giving away a Chemex coffee maker with filters, half of a pound of fresh roasted coffee from The Spice Merchant (a local joint in my hometown) and two hand painted cards from Burma. I’m super excited for whoever wins this prize!

If you haven’t heard of a Chemex coffee maker you can go to their website to learn more about why this coffee maker is so great. Basically their brewing method takes out the bitter coffee tastes and makes a great cup of java. Plus, I always feel like I’m creating some amazing scientific lab experiment when I make coffee with my Chemex.

The second thing I have for you is some snail mail! I love receiving snail mail and I love sending it. If you e-mail me your name and address I will send you a card from either Thailand or Burma. Due to postal regulations it might take me a few weeks to send you some snail mail but I give you my word if you ask for some snail mail I’ll do my best to send you some!

Thanks again friends for all your love and support! Here are the lovely ladies that are teaming up with me today. I hope you will take a few minutes to check out their blogs and see what they are all about.

            Rachel                                 Sarah                                 Amanda                                Beka

        Topaz N Pearls               Sometimes Photojenik         The Lady Okie                           SS2SI

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway Rules:

1. The giveaway will run from Wednesday, October 22nd - Tuesday, October 28th. 

2. This winner of the giveway must have a US address. It is not open internationally.

3. All entries will be verified. 

4. The winner will have 24 hours to respond. If no response is received a new winner will be picked. 

For some of my other favorite coffee recipes click on the pictures below:

Perfect Cold Brew Coffee

With Summer in full swing so is creating fun summer drinks. I've created brazilian limeades, blueberry lemonade, strawberry lemonade but today I'm sharing one of my favorite summer drinks ever - cold brew coffee. 

As you all know I'm a huge coffee fan and summer never stops me from drinking my hot morning latte. A couple of years ago my sister introduced me to cold brew. However, I forgot all about iced coffee until Alicia posted a picture and it gave me a huge craving! Alicia made a fun no-mess recipe and if you want to check out her batch you can do so here. 

I had a lot of fun taking pictures of this which means I'm sharing a lot of pictures. I got up early yesterday morning to take pictures and I just snapped away. Then I couldn't decide how I wanted to post this recipe: simple, step by step with pictures or just pictures and then instructions at the bottom? So ... I'm giving you all three. You're welcome. You're welcome ;)

One important thing to note is that the ratio is 1/2 c. of coffee for every 2 c. of water. 

Step by Step with Pictures

Add 4 cups of water, 1 c. of medium ground coffee and 1 tsp. of vanilla to a pitcher, pan, container (whatever you got on hand) and cover. Let it sit at room temperature for 8-10 hours. Then give it a good stir and re-cover it. 

Some people place their brew in the refrigerator but I don't feel like that releases enough of the coffee flavor. Either way will work though. I just like my coffee nice and strong so I leave it at room temp. 

After your coffee has set for 24 hours you will want to strain your coffee. I use a Chemex but you can use whatever method you have on hand, even a cheesecloth will work.

Also, you should know there is no magic number to the 24 hour thing. Sometimes I make this in the early evening and let it sit out until the next morning and it usually turns out just fine.

After the coffee has strained and after you have taken upteen zillion pictures fill a glass with ice.

 Pour the cold brew coffee right over that ice.

Then it's time to make some magic -  grab your heavy whipping cream. Also note, you don't have to use heavy whipping cream - you can use sweetened condensed milk (I'm talking to you Aunt JB) or 1/2 & 1/2 or whatever you prefer.

Then slowly and carefully pour a splash of cream into your glass. I was busy taking pictures and missed the glass. ha ha! You can't tell too much, right?

Then you watch the magic happen. This is probably my favorite part...

Stir and Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2c. water
1/2 c. coffee - medium grind
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
Splash of 1/2 & 1/2 or sweetened condensed milk (optional)

Directions:
Place the water, coffee and vanilla in a pitcher, cover and leave at room temperature. Some people place their mixture in the refrigerator but I think that the cool temperatures don't allow the coffee to release all of it's flavor resulting in a weak brew.

Approximately 8-10 hours in stir the coffee mixture and recover.

After the coffee has set for 24 hours strain the coffee. You can do this using a cheese cloth, a pour over method, a french press or a chemex. I use a chemex. If you use a french press after you press the grounds out I'd transfer the coffee to another pitcher to prevent the coffee from getting bitter.

Add ice to a glass, pour in coffee and add a splash of 1/2 & 1/2

Now go do a happy dance and enjoy that coffee!

_____________________________________

Do you like cold brew coffee? 

Have you ever made cold brew coffee? 

Also, if you enjoyed this recipe, would you be so kind to pin it or share it? Thanks! 

Chemex Coffe Maker

Meet Mr. Chemex, one of my new favorite brewing methods. This little coffee maker produces one of the best cups of coffee by removing all the bitterness and leaving a pure coffee taste. 

Before we talk about how it brews, make sure you have good coffee. Check out a local coffee roaster or buy beans from a coffee shop. Store bought packages of coffee just don't taste the same. Back to the brewing method... just by looking at it you can tell it brews a little differently so here is how it works: 

You can use regular or chemex coffee filters. If you use a chemex filter, they are a big circle folded into a cone. You want to place the side that has 3 layers toward the pouring spout. After you added your coffee grounds (1 tbsp. for 5 oz.) you want to boil your water. Once the water is boiled, wait until it stops boiling vigorously. You will then pour a small amount of water on the grounds; just enough to wet them without floating. This allows the coffee to 'bloom' and this little part of the method is what takes out the nasty bitter taste some other brewing methods have.

 After a minute or so you can pour more water and finish brewing. The total time to brew is about 5 minutes. It really does taste great. Also, I think the coffee maker in and of itself looks awesome. 

If you are interested in purchasing one you can check out the chemex website for more information. Are you a coffee drinker? What's your favorite brewing method? 

Also, I'm featured today on one of my favorite blogs, Will Run for Margaritas, where I talk about my fun running adventures. Check it out and also check out Melody's blog! She writes all about running  and is a great inspiration.